When Activision sprung the surprise announcement for Transformers Devastation at my E3 meeting for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5, I was beyond elated. It has everything I could possibly ask for in a Transformers game: cel-shaded look of 1980s Transformers, original voice actors, and game development and...

Beautiful cel-shaded graphics; plenty of 1980s whimsy; fun combat; and the return of the (mostly) original voice acting crew from the beloved cartoon set up for a delightful Transformers game experience

Repeated boss fights; repeated environments; lack of combat depth; collectibles without that great of a purpose; and lack of expected difficulty tear down the game's potential to be that delightful Transformers game experience

Despite the toy-line having a popular 1980s cartoon as well as further cartoon series', Transformers: Devastation , with its beautiful cel-shaded visuals, is the first Transformers game of the modern day to be clearly based on a cartoon.

There hasn't been much representation of the first generation of the Transformers, which is generally held in the highest regard by the fan base, mostly due to nostalgia and it being the one most adults grew up with in the '80s, as well as having a totally awesome animated movie.

The massive robots in Platinum Games's Transformers: Devastation feel as light and fluid in action as the spry witch from the developer's Bayonetta franchise. They run gracefully and smoothly as they strike their enemies in rapid succession.

Over the past decade, Platinum Games has made quite a name for itself. With games such as Mad World , the Bayonetta series, and Metal Gear Rising, it's pretty much become the master of the action-game genre. Bayonetta in particular is a standard to which all other action games are measured.

Platinum in disguise.

Fantastic looking; Superb signature Platinum combat; Full of fan service

Some scenery glitches; Forgettable music; Way too short

Platinum is to be praised for filling such a relatively small container with so many ideas. Nevertheless, for some it may not be quite enough. The story mode can be finished in a few hours and, unless you head back in as a different character, or at one of the other two difficulty levels, you will...

The original Transformers defined an entire generation of cartoon and comic book fans nearly 25 years before Michael Bay's ‘vision' for the franchise hit the scene. The G1 Transformers are the definition of super rad giant ninja robots, and now there's a game to shine the spotlight on those 1984...

Classic cartoon style; Frantic and precise combat; Interesting loot mechanic

Disorienting camera control; Questionable length; Ranged attack controls

Alan dons a disguise for Transformers Devastation, the latest brawler from action specialists Platinum Games.

Great combat; Perfectly emulates the 80s cartoon aesthetic; Excellent voice cast

Camera is a bit dodgy; Very short

The Transformers movies and video games of late seem to have a particularly bad reputation. Michael Bay's ‘splosion fest movies don't quite capture the love and quirkiness of the animated series. The games, at least the few that I've played, weren't the best either.

Fun | Hand-to-Hand combat is great | Combos are Easy to Master | Killer Soundtrack

Not Very Long | Not Many Combos | Story is simple